The Corporal
by RenKain
Summary: Corporal Levi: Cold, calculating and battle-hardened. Or... Corporal Levi: Compassionate, enigmatic and loyal. Who can honestly say, really?
1. High and Mighty

**A/N**: Hello, all! Well let's get right down to it: here we have a 'Practice Levi's Personality' story, plain and simple. I've sat pondering and deliberating the best way to tackle our favorite prickly soldier and finally came up with an (embarrassingly unoriginal) idea: throw him in the mix with a female OC and some of the cast and let them sort it out.

This will be, as is obvious almost immediately, very canon-verse and slightly AU, as in events unfolding in the manga have unfolded quite differently here. Such as characters who are supposed to be dead are very much alive. Because that's how I deal with fake people's deaths. I'm a fucking character necromancer.

These are my only excuses for the following nonsense. Also, I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin Anime/Manga, and make no profit here. This is applicable to every chapter in this fanfiction.

Rated: T for language

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><p>"We will strengthen the patrol along the south side of the Trost Gate, and send out four elite squads to eradicate any Titans that might be left in the immediate area. Then we can move on to…"<p>

She tried to listen, she really did, but the stodgy old Lorde's voice was like sandpaper over her senses; grating and irritable, and definitely not something she was in any mood to indulge. Forcing herself to look up from where her fingers picked at the icy metal shackles around her wrists, her sharp, forest-green gaze landed almost automatically on the Corporal.

At least he looked just about as bored as she felt.

"...Unless, Corporal Levi, you would rather send your girl?"

"My what?" Levi's cold, disinterested voice cut through the thick air in the meeting room like a swift knife.

"Your girl," the old Lorde repeated, waving a hand at her bound form dismissively. "That wild _monster_ you found outside the Walls."

She shifted slightly in her hard chair, feeling the familiar tightening of her skin beneath her sleeves and gloves, her scalp tingling under her dark red hair. _Wild monster_? Did this old codger have any idea what she had done to keep them safe? The nerve...

Levi slid his gaze over her in a silent warning before glaring at the old Lorde in distaste. "You mean Sonata Gren," he said evenly. "Why her?"

"She's a shifter, is she not?" The Lorde, Sonata couldn't bother to remember his name, spat the word 'shifter' like a horrible curse, his beady eyes moving to rest on her and her chair of useless chains. "One of _them_."

Sonata felt the corners of her mouth beginning to curl into a snarl, itching to show these stuffy old men just how much of a_ monster_ she really was, and just barely managed to stop herself as she noticed the Corporal, her Corporal, now moving toward her. Levi stopped next to the high-backed metal chair, his face turned away from the obnoxious old Lorde, and tilted his chin to look down at her. She could almost see the approval in his silver eyes when she held his gaze evenly.

_Just stay still_.

"She's a shifter," Levi agreed quietly. "But she's not one of _them_." He stepped back and faced the room again. "I'm not sending her into Maria."

"What?" the Lorde spluttered indignantly. "Why not?" Apparently he had not been expecting a mere Corporal to go against his wishes.

"Because I said so," Levi shrugged and walked back to his original position against the far wall, arms folded. "That's all the reason I need."

"Corporal Levi, don't be ridiculous," Captain Tunde started angrily, her short brown hair bobbing with her movements. "The taking of Maria is absolutely _vital_-"

"I said no," Levi cut her off. "And as I recall, ruling of the High Court last week has placed me in full custody of this," he glanced at Sonata again, "'Unknown Entity', until such time as I see fit to use her strength to Humanity's advantage."

Sonata mentally nodded in agreement, careful to keep her face expressionless. As cold as Levi's words sounded, she knew he was doing this for her benefit as well as everyone else's, and she appreciated his effort. Even if he was still kind of being an ass about it. She had also heard about what had happened to Eren the year before, and was simply grateful Levi had foregone the kicking part this time.

"This is preposterous!" the old Lorde slammed one beefy hand down on the wide desk in front of him. "Levi, you cannot possibly think to keep all of her power for _yourself_-"

"That's enough," Commander Mike Zacharias spoke up for the first time since the meeting had begun, tilting his head in question at the old Lorde and Captan Tunde. "I suggest we review the true nature of this 'counsel', before things escalate any further." He took several steps forward with long, purposeful strides, placing himself between Sonata's chair and the curious eyes of the other attendees. "Is it to take back Maria with our own power, or to simply make a show of power by using this Titan shifter before we are ready for a full-measure counterattack?"

The old Lorde sputtered incoherently, his wide face turning and unattractive shade of red, while Tunde looked away almost uncomfortably. The other officers, of much lower rank (save for Commander Pixis, who was currently sleeping in the corner of the room), said nothing.

Zacharias nodded, seemingly to himself, and addressed the room. "Then with my utmost respect my Lorde, Commander Pixis," Pixis snorted but didn't wake, "I will call an end to this preliminary meeting. I do not anticipate a need for any future counsel on the subject."

Levi had already yanked the guard's keys away from him and unlocked Sonata's shackles before Zacharias had even finished speaking.

"Let's go Gren," he commanded, pulling her to her feet. He kept a hand clamped around her upper arm, as a show of control for the other officers, until they had left the stuffy meeting room and were already most of the way down the long corridor.

"That was a good call, Mike," Levi noted, releasing Sonata's arm and maneuvering her around so she walked between himself and Zacharias. He was about an inch or two shorter than the girl to his right, yet somehow still managed to shield her from the curious stares coming from every open door they passed by. Probably out of sheer force of will alone. "They thought they were being clever, the idiots." He made a disgusted 'tch' sound under his breath.

"They're afraid, Levi," Zacharias said quietly. "They think they can use Sonata to save themselves."

"I can do it though, right?" Sonata asked. She had been quiet throughout the meeting at Zacharias' request, but now could barely wait to voice the many questions buzzing through her head. "I certainly have the strength to fight. Why not let me help them?"

"You're not ready," Levi answered shortly.

"I lived outside the Walls for three years," Sonata pointed out, turning her head in an attempt to read Levi's tight expression. It was useless. "I did nothing but kill Titans until we met. How am I not ready?"

"He means for the political backlash," Zacharias put in kindly when Levi only glared at her. "As a shifter, you'll be an immediate target and scapegoat if something goes wrong. Even if you survive the battle, if you don't win, they will kill you."

"That's unlikely," Sonata frowned. "But alright," she continued when Levi looked like he was about to yell at her. "I've already said I'll stay with you."

Levi calmed down a few degrees with this declaration, and Sonata let them both grip her arms again as they left the stodgy old Lorde's mansion and made their way across the cobblestoned courtyard to a waiting coach.

Connie Springer, sitting at the front with the reins in one hand, perked up when he saw them approaching.

"How did it go?" he asked, looking down at Sonata with a hint of apprehension.

"I'm in the clear for now," Sonata smiled up at him briefly before being shooed along by the Corporal, as it was obvious he did not want to stay in that place a second longer than absolutely necessary. She caught Connie's answering grin as the sour man next to her pulled the door open.

"You can yap at each other all you want when we get back to HQ," Levi growled. He pushed Sonata into the coach ahead of him, sliding himself up on the bench next to her as Zacharias folded his long frame through the door and closed it behind them.

A moment later the coach was rumbling down the long drive, back toward the interior's winding roads and crowded streets. It would be another three hours before they reached the Scouting Legion's Headquarters, since they would have to travel through Stohess to get to the main road leading to the wilderness of Rose, and Sonata was already feeling completely exhausted by the day's events.

"Go to sleep if you want," Levi's voice from beside her nearly made her jump. "I promise I won't throw you out of the coach. Not while it's moving, at least."

She couldn't quite tell if he was joking or not, frowning thoughtfully at his profile. After a few tense seconds Zacharias snorted in amusement across from them, and she concluded that Levi was, in fact, _not_ joking.

"It would probably be faster if you did," she said, partially to annoy him and partially because it was true.

Levi 'tch'd' again and folded his arms. She knew then that she would remain inside the coach for the duration of the trip, not least of all because the Corporal didn't want to have to try to explain a bunch of splintered rooftops and holes in the ground from here to HQ.

It wasn't her fault the buildings in Stohess weren't strong enough to handle her hardening abilities, even while out of Titan form.

Still, Sonata opted to pull off her gloves and roll the sleeves of her dress shirt to her elbows. Under Levi's protection or not, there were plenty of people who didn't like the fact that she existed, and she would hate to tear her nice clothing in a fight. Especially since she had borrowed them from Sasha.

Levi noticed this, of course.

"You're not leaving this coach, Gren," he said with finality.

"I know, Corporal," Sonata agreed. "I said I would stay, didn't I?"

"Why do you call him that?" Zacharias asked suddenly.

Sonata stared at him for a moment, caught off-guard by the question. "Call who what?"

Zacharias gave her his usual smirk. "Why do you call Levi 'Corporal'?" he elaborated. "You were never in the military. You are with us as a weapon, not as a soldier." There was no cruelty or mockery in his voice, only curiosity.

It was true, Sonata thought. She was never a soldier. She had actually been one of the original party sent out six years before in that sham of a quest to take back Maria the first time. It was only because of her unique abilities that she had made it back at all, but it was for that same reason she had been forced to live in the mountains for three years, before opting to escape outside the Walls altogether. She had been nothing more than another mindless monster to them.

Sonata turned to watch out the window of the coach, lost in thought. If the interior was a wreck now, it was nothing compared to what it had been before the revolution. And they had Levi to thank for that, in part.

Sonata couldn't really say why she had decided to follow the short, angry Corporal, except for the fact that she inexplicably trusted him. Also, he hadn't attempted to kill her on sight, so there was that.

But Zacharias was still waiting for an answer, so Sonata gave him the only one she had available.

"I made a decision to stay with and assist the Scouting Legion's Levi Squad," she said, as evenly as she could. "And by proxy the entire Scouting Legion itself. Weapon or not, soldier or not, that makes him my Corporal."

Zacharias sat back in satisfaction, leaning against the side of the coach so as not to hit his head on the roof. "I see," was all he said.

Sonata thought it had been an odd time to ask such a question, she had been with them for weeks already, but forgot about it when she realized that she could practically feel the self-satisfied smirk radiating from the man next to her.

"And I decided to stay for Eren Jaeger," she put in, eyes out the window again. "He seems like enough to fight for."

"'Seems like'?" Levi repeated, the smirk obviously gone now. "You mean you're not even sure?"

Sonata turned to face him with an angelic smile. "Why? Isn't that enough, _Corporal_?"

Levi scoffed and turned away from her as he realized she was trying to bait him. "Just go to sleep, brat," he groused.

"I'm twenty-four-"

"Still a brat."

"Fine."


	2. Misgivings

A/N: Well, I hope that last chapter wasn't too jarring for anyone. The rest of the odd premises will be explained further along, I think.

Rated T for language

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><p>A light tapping on her shoulder woke her suddenly, and Sonata immediately bolted upright, the skin of one hand already hardening into an icy diamond case. She paused as the folded jacket she had unknowingly been using as a pillow tumbled into her lap and she remembered where she had fallen asleep.<p>

"It's alright," Zacharias said smoothly, withdrawing his arm. "We're here." He ducked out of the coach to wait for her, standing beside Connie in the semi-dark of the old castle's drive. Levi had apparently already gone inside.

Sonata nodded and relaxed to let the diamond casing sink back into her skin, leaving it wholly unblemished. She then picked up the jacket and held it up for inspection. It was plain, black, not too big, and smelled of lime and cedar. Levi's jacket.

Fully awake now, Sonata draped the jacket over one arm and climbed down out of the coach, a little surprised when Connie stepped forward to take her hand. The same hand that had been nothing short of a deadly sledgehammer only a moment before.

She smiled as she reached the ground and Connie let go of her again. To most, it would have seemed a perfectly normal and gentlemanly act, or even a friendly helping hand from one comrade to another. To Sonata, it was much more important. It showed a level of trust that was nearly alien to her, one she was still struggling to get used to in this new, strange place.

They all trusted her, despite having seen first-hand what she was capable of, and nothing could make her feel more welcome than the small gestures Levi's Squad offered to her on a daily basis.

"Thanks, Connie," Sonata stretched her stiff muscles and followed the Commander as Zacharias made for the front doors of the small castle, the same one that had served as the Scouting Legion's Headquarters since before Eren Jaeger had joined them.

When they were nearly to the door, Zacharias turned to face her.

"I didn't say it before, but thank you," he nodded his head, chin tilted down to look her in the eyes.

"For what, Sir?" Sonata asked, nonplussed.

"I know it wasn't the chains that kept you still during the meeting," he explained. "In fact, there was a moment I was afraid you would break them out of anger. I can't say I would have blamed you if you did, but I'm glad you didn't. So, thank you."

Sonata considered this for a moment. "If I had broken the chains," she started slowly, "it would have marred Corporal Levi's integrity in the eyes of the other Legions, and made it much more difficult to complete any potential training here. But you're right Sir. I was angry."

Zacharias arched an eyebrow at her thoughtfully. "You're quite interested in his image," he remarked.

"Not for its sake alone, Sir," Sonata explained, feeling very tired despite her fitful nap in the bumpy coach. "However, if I follow Corporal Levi, I would rather he be thought capable of controlling monsters without a doubt than be considered a liar if I break loose. I don't want a fool for a leader, imagined or not. Do you see?"

Mike Zacharias took a deep breath through his nose, eyes closed, before nodding once. "Yes, I see." He spared her one last glance and a smile before opening the front door to usher her inside, closing it behind her without following. "Get some rest, Gren."

It was dark inside the front hall, she didn't know where the others might be, and she still had Levi's jacket draped over one arm, but Sonata strode forward anyway, intent on getting some actual rest before her knees gave out from the strain her nerves had been put through that day.

"Sonata!"

No such luck.

"Hey, Sonata!"

"Sonata?"

"Sonny!"

Sonata turned as a bright square of light flooded the front hall from the door opening to her left, revealing the well-lit sitting room crowded with the eager faces of Levi's Squad. Their Corporal was conspicuously absent from the group.

"Hi guys," she greeted. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Pfft. Only since you left this morning," Sasha was the first to make it through the bottleneck at the door, jumping forward to attach herself to Sonata's free arm. "Come on, tell us what those old fogeys said! Are they sending you back over the Walls?"

Sonata was dragged into the sitting room and stuffed into a chair beside the fire, immediately surrounded by curious faces. A small cup of black tea was placed in her hand by one of them at some point, and she adjusted her hold on Levi's folded jacket to keep the fabric from catching any of the spilled liquid as the cup was jostled around. She doubted the Corporal would be very happy about that.

"So what happened at the meeting?" Armin asked, perched on an identical chair across from her.

"Oh, that," Sonata managed, having finally recovered from the whirlwind of movement. She still wasn't fully used to the amount of energy this group possessed at every moment of the day.

"Yes, _that_," Jean rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly. "What'd they say? Are you staying or do they want to take you?"

"They do want to take me," Sonata admitted. She very nearly grinned at the aghast looks on the teenagers' faces at this announcement. "However, the Corporal said no. I'm staying."

"Corporal Levi did?" Sasha questioned with a tilt of her head. "Really?"

"So I'll be going into Maria alone?" Eren asked. He didn't seem worried, only mildly thoughtful.

"Of course you're not," Mikasa frowned beside him. "I'll be going, as well."

"I don't think either of you are going anywhere yet," Sonata informed them. "The higher-ups don't seem to even have a plan. It seems the entire reason for the 'meeting' was to convince the Corporal to let them throw me at the Titans, and hope for the best."

"That's stupid," Jean said flatly.

The rest were quick to agree with this sentiment.

"A plan of attack would be the best thing to have now," Armin pointed out unnecessarily. "And, as much as I hate to say it, sending you both at the same time would be our only chance."

"You're right," Eren nodded at him. "Sonny and I would be strongest together. Splitting us up is an idea for morons."

"Well, that explains the meeting," Mikasa scoffed into her scarf.

Sonata gave a low chuckle, looking at them all with something close to fondness. "The more time I spend with you guys, the more I think it's you who should be running the interior," she told them.

"Nah," Eren shook his head, smiling. "Having Historia back is good enough, I think."

"And Erwin's on the council now, too," Armin put in. "Was he at the meeting?"

"No," Sonata frowned. "He wasn't. And I don't think I'm the only one who wondered why he was absent." Her hand reflexively tightened around the black material in her lap. "It's...worrying, to say the least."

"Is that Levi's jacket?" Mikasa asked, one dark eyebrow arched gracefully.

"Oh, uhm, yes," Sonata glanced down at the jacket in her grip, nearly forgotten in all the talk about the meeting. "He left it in the coach earlier."

Mikasa's second eyebrow joined the first at her hairline, and Sonata knew they were thinking the same thing: _Levi doesn't just leave things behind for no reason_.

"Oh," Eren brightened, oblivious to the silent understanding between the two women and holding one arm out toward Sonata. "I'll take it to him, if you want."

Sonata glanced down at the jacket again before nodding, slowly, and handing it over to Mikasa, who then gave it to Eren. "Sure. Thanks Eren."

If Mikasa noticed Sonata's slight hesitation to let go of the material, she kept herself quiet about it. They both seemed to know it had more to do with the real reason behind the meeting, than the man who owned the item.

"Of course," Eren grinned. "I'm sure you'd probably want to eat anyway, instead of tracking him down, so-"

"That's right!" Sasha jumped to her feet and yanked Sonata out of the over-stuffed chair, ignoring the older girl's yelp of protest. "You must be _starving_! Let's go eat!"

"_You've_ eaten already, Sasha!" Jean called after them as Sasha dragged Sonata from the sitting room. "Leave some for Sonata!"

Sasha ignored him, whipping Sonata around the corner to the hallway as soon as they were through the door. "Have you seen Connie?" she asked.

"Uh-"

"Of course you have!" Sasha answered her own question. "He's the one who took you to the interior, isn't he?"

"Sasha-"

"I'm so happy he was given that honor," The bubbly girl continued on, flinging them both around another corner. "It's a pretty big one, usually reserved for the top rank of elite soldiers, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a hundred times more boring here without him all day."

"Sasha, we should probably slow down-"

"We all missed you too, you know," Sasha babbled, deaf to Sonata's protests. Sonata figured she could just dig in her heels and stop the runaway girl, but didn't want to risk hurting her in the process. "And since you're staying, does that mean you'll be training with us?" Sasha pulled on Sonata's arm again and with great enthusiasm, sending her flying around another blind corner.

"Wait!"

"_Shit_! What the-!"

"Oops!"

When Sonata finally came to a stop, she found herself really wishing she hadn't. It wasn't so much the fact that Sasha had stopped as well, standing beside her with a hand clapped over her mouth in horror. It wasn't even the fact that they were still in the hallway, instead of the kitchen as they had intended.

It was more the fact that she was now wrapped firmly in the hold of a very short, _very_ angry Corporal, pressed flush against his surprisingly solid chest while he growled into her hair and tried to keep his balance from the impact.

"Sonata Gren," Levi started, his voice pitched menacingly low. "What. The hell. Are you doing?"

Standing in the arms of Humanity's Strongest Soldier, tired, hungry and shaken, Sonata did the single, most idiotic thing she could have done at that moment:

She laughed.


End file.
